Caden SternsJustin Simmons

Justin Simmons placed on injured reserve

The Denver Broncos rode a tidal wave of hype into Week 1, only for it to crash in unimpressive fashion, falling to the Seattle Seahawks. Not only will the Broncos have to deal with questionable head coaching decisions and a case of fumble-itis. They’ll also be without star safety Justin Simmons for at least four weeks.

 

Simmons played on Monday, but suffered a thigh injury that has landed him on injured reserve. He recovered a fumble and played every defensive snap in the loss.

 

Last year, his five interceptions helped land him a Second-Team All-Pro selection, the second of his career.

 

Denver faces the Houston Texans in Week 2 before taking on the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Indianapolis Colts before Simmons is eligible to return. Should he not be able to, they’ll hobble into a date with Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

 

Thankfully, all is not lost. The Broncos are deep in the defensive backfield and have an offense capable of keeping up with good quarterbacks, assuming they clean up their opening act. 

 


Denver is now +100 to make the playoffs on DraftKings, tied for the sixth-best odds in the AFC. Given the level of quarterback play and the talent surrounding it, there’s value in an optimistic approach to the Broncos’ season. They are also +100 to clear 9.5 wins, a potential requirement for their playoff aspirations.

 

With that said, Simmons doesn’t necessarily move the needle an exorbitant amount. I coincidentally like the over this week (45), but wouldn’t expect that to become a trend. Caden Sterns will likely see more playing time, too, and I like his game.


While it won’t cripple Denver, Simmons’ injury means losing a high-level playmaker. Hopefully, he’s healthy to return before their murderer’s row of opposing quarterbacks late in the year.

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Anthony Licciardi
Sports Journalist
Anthony Licciardi is a long-suffering fan of the New York Mets, Jets, and Knicks. He aims to build a smarter generation of sports fans and writes to distract himself from the daily happenings of his favorite teams. In his spare time, he’s knee deep in Google Sheets looking for some statistical edge on coming betting action. With former bylines at Pro Football Network, Cowboys Wire, and Around The Block Network, Anthony has experience wri
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